Right now, protective orders may be a victim's only line of defense, but local law enforcement is trying to change that.
The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office has applied for a grant to purchase ankle bracelets to track domestic violence abusers out of jail on pre-trial release.
The $160,000 grant would help buy ten monitoring devices that would pinpoint their exact location. If they get too close to the victim, police and the victim are alerted.
The sheriff's office has reapplied for the grant after being denied last year.

Disclaimer: Comments posted on this, or any story are opinions of those people posting them, and not the views or opinions
of WWAY NewsChannel 3, its management or employees. You can view our comment policy here.

Nobody should recognize Child Support/Family court industry as a legitimate part of our government. While the ankle bracelets help (Fathers) stay out of jail they are being issued based on false information, illegal activities and scummy legal tactics. These people cry "Its for the children!" but everybody knows they are talking about theirs. If you are court ordered to do something within a month the Ankle Bracelet Industry has a contract with the Child Support/Family Court Industry to make each individual's monitoring last 3 months. These legal criminals that are making a living of our kids are just plain pathetic and on the wrong side of the bars.

You got to be kidding! With our country in the tank $160,000 for what? Ten ankle bracelets? $16,000 each? No way! The sheriff is getting $6,000 for the bracelets and $154,000 for himself.
This is government insanity!
Why not keep the guy in jail if he is so dangerous? Oh that's right, the jail is overcrowded.
This is madness!

While I agree that number sounds high, we don't really know how much anything costs and what all is needed to acquire those things. I serously doubt the Sheriff just made up a number.
Do you have any better solutions?

Is this GPS related? If the wearer gets within a certain range of set locations?
Or does the other party have to wear one too? In which case, how do you explain setting long ranges and sending police out after someone who may just happen to be in the same general area?
What about if they work in the same place? Is one person forced to give up their job? What if the accusation was proven to be false? Does the accuser or police have to pay back salary?
What if this is a "they attend the same school/college?"
All these are issues that need to be addressed. While one side argues the Rights of the "victim" and the other side argues the Rights of the "accused", I prefer to think along both lines and consider the Rights of BOTH. Like it or not, BOTH have Rights. Wouldn't you hate to be in either situation and be told you DIDN'T have, or had less, Rights than the other?
Andrew

Just a couple of notes....the PO determines where the suspect is allowed to go. Having an ankle brecelet on doesn't change or affect with the PO states. So, the whole what ifs as far as working or going to school doesn't apply.
I see this helping out both parties invovled. Let's just say the woman wants to go to the store...if he shows up she will be notified and can call the police. On the flip side, I read awhile back where the female victim tried to get her ex in trouble by following him around and would call the police to tell them he is violating his order by being in the same place she is. This way, if the guy is inside and she shows up it could help police tell if he violates the order or if she is the cause for the violation

Well, common sense here. The PO is not going to tell the abuser they can go somewhere that they are not allowed to go (i.e. to the victim's residence, etc.)
And i'm pretty sure they'd be able to tell who was at the location first and who followed who there afterwards. This is meant to help the victims, not allow them an easier way to get their abusers in trouble. It's just a way of making them feel a bit safer when out and about, or even at home, by themselves.

Pre-trial release subject haven't had their day in court yet.
The solution? Save the $160,000 and tell the victim that life sux. Why have these devices for domestic violence offenders and not people charged with other violent crimes? To say that some woman afraid of her husband is any more deserving of special protection than say some old man who got the crud kicked out of him during a robbery is pandering political bull poop costing us $160,000.

Are you sure you are in LE or ever have been??? Some of your comments are completely ridiculous. Domestice violence is a personal type of crime where as a robbery has nothing to do with revenge or control. How many offenders in DV repeat their crimes and to the same victim? How many robbers go after a store owner, especially away from work. You are talking about two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT situations.
As far as the offenders not having their day in court, nobody is saying they are guilty of anything yet. Court systems tell the offenders where they are allowed to go and not, having that ankle brecelet on doesn't change a thing. The ankle brecelets offer peace and even safety for victims of domestic violence.